In The Beginning! A Few References and Resources:

 

  1. Holy Bible, St. Jerome Edition, The New Catholic Study Bible, with Bible Study Helps such as Harmony of the Gospels, the Parables and Miracles of Jesus Christ, How to study the Bible and Suggested Readings for the Liturgical Year…Biblical Information, such as St. Jerome: Writer, Scholar, Saint, Church Teaching on Inspiration, How the Bible Came About and Bible Land Maps.
  2. The Navarre Bible ~ Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; Acts of the Apostles and Commentaries
  3. Set of Commentaries by William Barclay
  4. The Liturgical Desk Calendar used for the Special Observances, Catholic Holydays, the daily readings and liturgical color for my home altar.
  5. Lectionary for Mass from the Roman Missal.
  6. The Order of Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours and Celebration of the Eucharist.
  7. Oxford Dictionary of the Saints, Edited by David Farmer a single volume or Butler’s Lives of the Saints (four volumes).
  8. Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (A one-volume reference).

My brother, Lee Joseph Jr., gifted me with the beautiful book “A Light for the World Essays and Reflections on the Papacy of John Paul II”.  Lee J’s inscription reads, “Bernadette – to the second most religious sibling in our family!”

The First Age of the Church (33 AD – 330 AD)

Second Age (330 – 660)

Third Age (650 – 1050)

Fourth Age (1050 – 1450)

Fifth Age (1400 – 1789)

Sixth Age (1789 – Present)

 

  1. Patrology, Forty-six ancient Christian Writers series starting with The Epistles of St. Clement of Rome and St. Ignatius of Antioch through St. Iranaeus and  Tertullian to Letters of  St. Cyprian, Vol. 3.  

Early Christian Fathers ~ Edited by Cyril C. Richardson; The Early Christian

Fathers, A selection from the writings of the Fathers from St. Clement of Rome to St. Athanasius ~ Edited and translated by Henry Bettenson, Dorotheos of Gaza  Discourses and Sayings ~ Translated by Eric P. Wheeler

  1. The series entitled The Classics of Western Spirituality, A Library of the Great Spiritual Master i.e., John Climacus, Hildegard of Bingen, Carthusian Spirituality Bonaventure, Cistercian Greats ~ Bernard of Clairvaux, William of Saint-Thierry etc. etc.!!
  2. The Doctors of the Church … see below …
  3. The Desert Fathers and Mothers, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Translated by Benedicta Ward, SLG 
  4. The Divine Office, One volume edition
  5. The Catechism of the Catholic Church
  6. The Catholic Encyclopedia
  7. Pocket Catholic Dictionary
  8. Second Vatican Council Documents, Volumes l and ll
  9. Classic Catholic Converts   Fr. Charles P. Connors
  10. An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, St. John Henry Newman and anything else by this Saint!
  11. The Monastic Wisdom Series   Patrick Hart, OCSO, General Editor…Benedictine Monastic Spirituality books galore! 

A Few Areas of Interest …

v  Paper:  Newsletters of Religious Orders:  Sisters of Divine Providence, San Antonio, TX, Olivetan Benedictines, Jonesboro, AR, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Washington, D.C., Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, Hanceville, AL, Congregation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel United States, Philippines, and Timor-Leste, New Orleans, LA.  Also, The Week, ‘Our State’ - North Carolina, ‘SHARE’ - Catholic Daughters of America, ‘COLUMBIA’ - Knights of Columbus and American Library Association Journal…my elementary school friend is a university librarian and saves the previous year stack of these jewels which I devour! I can hardly read a page without envisioning …!!!)

 

v  Electronic:  National Catholic Register, Life Site News, Oblate Programs of St. Benedict:  Belmont Abbey, North Carolina, St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, IN, The Institute for Digital Archaeology, Center for Basque Studies, University of Reno, NV, Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fast Company:  Technology, Design, World Changing Ideas, Most Innovative Companies and ‘Roads’ Scholars!  Also Youtube:  spiritual speakers/authors galore, Book TV/C-Span

 

v  DVD:  THE SUMMIT ~ ‘Into Great Silence’ ~ “One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, Into Great Silence dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life.” ~ The Grande Chartreuse, France built in the 11th century.

 

v  Topics:  Monastic Spirituality, Saints, The Classics, Church Fathers, Desert Fathers/Mothers, The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom/Twenty Centuries of the Spirit and Substance of Catholicism, Historical Biographies. 

 

v  Gregorian Chant is definitely my music of choice for every day is spent in imagining, focusing and tracking ministries! Favorite CD ~ Saint Benedict Gregorian Chant Monastic Choir of the Abbey of Notre Dame de Fontgombault

 

v  Monastery Greetings Catalog. Products created by Monasteries, Religious Communities & Hermitages.  www.MonasteryGreetings.com 

  

 

DOCTORS OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH

Since the thirteenth century, the Catholic Church has bestowed the title “doctor of the Church” on the following men and women.

 

Name

Titles

Born

Died

Promoted

Activity

St. Gregory the Great

 

540(ca.)

March 12, 604

1298

Pope

St. Ambrose

 

340(ca.)

April 4, 397

1298

Bishop of Milan

St. Augustine

Doctor gratiae
(Doctor of Grace)

354

August 28, 430

1298

Bishop of Hippo (now Annaba)

St. Jerome

 

347(ca.)

September 30, 420

1298

Priest, monk

St. John Chrysostom

 

347

407

1568

Archbishop of Constantinople

St. Basil the Great

 

330

January 1, 379

1568

Bishop of Caesarea

St. Gregory Nazianzus

 

329

January 25, 389

1568

Archbishop of Constantinople

St. Athanasius

 

298

May 2, 373

1568

Archbishop of Alexandria

St. Thomas Aquinas

Doctor angelicus
(Angelic Doctor);
Doctor communis
(Common Doctor)

1225

March 7, 1274

1568

Priest, Theologian, O.P.

St. Bonaventure

Doctor seraphicus
(Seraphic Doctor)

1221

July 15, 1274

1588

Cardinal Bishop of Albano, Theologian, Minister General, O.F.M.

St. Anselm

Doctor magnificus
(Magnificent Doctor);
Doctor Marianus
(Marian Doctor)

1033 or 1034

April 21, 1109

1720

Archbishop of Canterbury,O.S.B.

St. Isidore of Seville

 

560

April 4, 636

1722

Bishop of Seville

St. Peter Chrysologus

 

406

450

1729

Bishop of Ravenna

St. Leo the Great

Doctor of the Church's Unity

400

November 10, 461

1754

Pope

St. Peter Damian

 

1007

February 21, 1072

1828

Cardinal Bishop of Ostia, monk, O.S.B.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Doctor mellifluus
(Mellifluous Doctor)

1090

August 21, 1153

1830

Priest, O.Cist.

St. Hilary of Poitiers

 

300

367

1851

Bishop of Poitiers

St. Alphonsus Liguori

Doctor zelantissimus
(Most Zealous Doctor)

1696

August 1, 1787

1871

Bishop of Sant'Agata de' Goti, C.Ss.R. (Founder)

St. Francis de Sales

Doctor caritatis
(Doctor of Charity)

1567

December 28, 1622

1877

Bishop of Geneva OFM, Cap.

St. Cyril of Alexandria

Doctor Incarnationis
(Doctor of theIncarnation)

376

July 27, 444

1883

Archbishop of Alexandria

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

 

315

386

1883

Archbishop of Jerusalem

St. John Damascene

 

676

December 5, 749

1890

Priest, monk

St. Bede the Venerable

 

672

May 27, 735

1899

Priest, monk, O.S.B.

St. Ephrem[8]

 

306

373

October 5, 1920

Deacon

St. Peter Canisius

 

1521

December 21, 1597

May 1, 1925

Priest, S.J.

St. John of the Cross

Doctor mysticus
(Mystic Doctor)

1542

December 14, 1591

1926

Priest, mystic, O.C.D.(Founder)

St. Robert Bellarmine

 

1542

September 17, 1621

1931

Archbishop of Capua, Theologian, S.J.

St. Albertus Magnus[9]

Doctor universalis
(Universal Doctor)

1193

November 15, 1280

December 15, 1931

Bishop of Regensburg, Theologian, O.P.

St. Anthony of Lisbon and Padua

Doctor evangelicus
(Evangelical Doctor)

1195

June 13, 1231

January 16, 1946

Priest, O.F.M.

St. Lawrence of Brindisi

Doctor apostolicus
(Apostolic Doctor)

1559

July 22, 1619

1959

Priest, Diplomat, O.F.M. Cap.

St. Teresa of Ávila[10]

 

1515

October 4, 1582

September 27, 1970

Mystic, O.C.D. (Founder)

St. Catherine of Siena

 

1347

April 29, 1380

October 3, 1970

Mystic, O.P. (Consecrated virgin)

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

 

1873

September 30, 1897

October 19, 1997

O.C.D. (Nun)

St. John of Ávila

 

1500

May 10, 1569

October 7, 2012

Priest, Mystic

St. Hildegard of Bingen

 

1098

September 17, 1179

October 7, 2012

Visionary, theologian, composer, polymath,O.S.B. (Abbess)

St. Gregory of Narek[11]

 

951

1003

April 12, 2015

Monk, poet, mystical philosopher, theologian